Centrifugal pump



uy 5 1927.. y1,(534-,304

V. SCHLEYER CENTRIFUGAL PUMP Filed Maron 19.1923 esmas-snee: 1

' ber, which is formed in the main body-mem- 4U lPatented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE.A

VICTOR SCHLEYER, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, lASSIG-NOR, BY" MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T

DEAN HILL PUMP COMPANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION 0I' DT- DIANA.

cnN'rnIEUeAn PUMP.

Application led March 19, 1923. lSerial No. 828,068.

lt is the object of my invention to improve and simplify the construction of centrifugal pumps; to prevent whirling of the discharge water while at the same time avoiding the cost and diiculties of the usual multi-vane diffuser; to provide a centrifugal adapted for use as a boiler-feed pump, though my invention in many of its features is not limited to a pump for this purpose; to keep the water hot'as it passes through the pump, so th t the heat the water has absorbed from the feed-water heater may not be lost before the water reaches lthe boilers, and may even be increased in the pump; to keep an intermittently acting pump from freezing in cold weatherdur ing the intermissions of its action, such as occurs in boiler-feed pumps; and to provide a simple structure in which the'steam jacket and the volute discharge-chamber are formed in the same body member.

ln carrying out my invention, l provide a centrifugal pump, preferably turbine-driven and preferably of the vertical-shaft type, which may be used as the feed-water pump for a boiler, and especially for a locomotive boiler. This pump may be either singlestage or multi-stage, though for locomotive boiler practice l prefer multi-stage pumps. Each stage of the pump is provided with an anti-whirl vane in its discharge passage, to keep the water from whirling as it is thrown out by the rotating impeller. This vane is of a general involute form, and serves to cause the water to flow outward without material whirling. The ldischarge chambers of the final stage lead into a volute outlet chamber of the pump. ln this same body-member is a steam-jacket chamber, which serves to keep the water hot, and even to add to the heat of the water, as the water passes through the pump from the feed-water heater to the boiler.

rlhe accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a vertical central section through a centrifugal pump embodying my invention, with the driving turbine above and the steadying bearing below shown in elevation, the section beingt taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on a slightly enlarged scale, substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

from a centrifugal pump.v

pump particularly The pump as shown is a vertical-type pump, having a vertical shaft 10, which at its upper end is connected with a drivin turbine 11, and at its lower end is support in a steadying bearing 12; and below the steadying bearing,'though it is not a part of my present invention, .is a screw-pump 13, which circulates lubricant from a reservoir 14: in the steadying bearing 12, through such screw-pump 13, by a pipe 15 to the upper bearing 1'6, and thence back by a pipe 17 to the reservoir 14.

The pump is shown asa multi-stage pump, although my invention is not limited to multi-stage pumps. The pump shown has a plurality of impellers 2O fixed on the shaft l() one above another, and arranged to throw lwater outward in the-usual manner of impellers from a supply opening 21 near the center to an outer `discharge chamber 22 surrounding the impeller. The discharge chamber 22 of each. stage except the topmost one communicates by a higher inwardly leading chamber 23 with the supply openingof the next higher impeller, so that the several stages are in series in the usual manner.

The inwardly leading chamber 23 usually has'return vanes 24, of which .there may be an annular series in each such chamber, for directing the' water spirally inward toward the supply opening 21 of the lnext higher mpeller, as is the usual practice. The vanes 24 may be integral with either of the adjacent plates 32 and 33 (later described) if such plates are separate from each other as the drawing indicates; but such two plates 32 and 33 on the two sides of a series of vanes 24; are not necessarily non-integral with each other. The supply opening 21 of the lowermost impeller communicates with an inlet opening 25, which when the pump is used for a boiler-feed pump is connected by a supply pipe 26 which leads from the feed-water heater to such inlet opening. This pipe 26 usually leads downward to the inlet opening'25 when the pump is a boilerfeed pump, because the water is hot so that it cannot be effectively lifted by suction. The discharge chamber 22 of the topmost stage communicates circumferentially with a volute outlet chamber 27, as is clear from both Figs. l and 2, which volute outlet chamber has the usual tangential outlet passage 28; which when the pump is used as a boilerfeed .pump communicates with the boiler.

vIn each ofthe discharge chambers 22, I provide a single involute vane 30, which guides the water that is thrown outward by the associated impeller 20, and electivel Th peller, which angle will vary somewhat ac' cording to the operating speed of the pump; being designed so that it stands at the normal angle of discharge of such water, so that shock-losses will be largely or wholly avoided. In all'the stages except the topmost one, this vane 30 maybe placed in any desired circumferential location; but in the topmost stage I prefer to have the outer end of this vane 30 come substantially o posite and in line with the lip 31 forme between the volute chamber 24 and the outlet passage 28, preferably with a slight space between the vane 30 and lip 31, as is clear from Fig. 2. Y,

vI am aware that multi-blade diifusers have been used in the discharge chambers of centrifugal pumps; but these have involved considerable expense, and have caused some difficulty in operation because of the tendency of the narrow passages between lthem to lime up, Vespecially in using water which has been heated or chemically treated or both, as in boiler-feed water.- By my single vane, I not only cheapen the structure whilestill maintaining an eilicient guide and still eiliciently preventin whirling, but also lind that this liming up is effectually prevented.

This vane 30 serves the further function of properly s acing apart the up er and lower plates etween which each dlscharge chamber 22 is formed, and of helping to support'the upper plate 32 from 33. Since 'the vane 30 vprovides support for only a comparatively small circumferential extent, I prefer to supplement this supporting action by additional posts 35, located at spaced circumferential points and extending between the plates 32 and 33. Urdinarily, I prefer to provide two such posts, so that with the vane 30 they ,will providea threepoint support, the vane 30v and two posts 35 being about equally eircumferentially spaced. The posts 35 are preferably of stream-line cross-section, with their long dimension set about parallel to the direction of water flow; or, in other words, set with the relation to the radius substantially as is a section of the vane 30. The Vane 30 and the posts 35 in an stage niay be integral with the axially a jacent part on either side thereof.

Around the pump I provide a steamthe lowerplate thereon, u

charge chamber into jacket chamber 40, which preferably completely surrounds the pump and extends longitudinally thereof as far as' possible; is 'steam-jacket chamber is supplied with steam by a i e 41 preferably entering at the top; an asa trapped outletpipe-42, preferably communicating with the bottom of the steam-jacketchamber. By this steamjacket, I secure a number of advantages, prticularly when the 'pump is used as a iler-feed pump for locomotive boilers.` In the rst place, 1t keeps hot the feed water which has been heated in the feed-water heater, so that it willv not lose heat before it is discharged into the boiler. In the second place, it 'not only keeps such feed water hot, but actually helps to heat such feed water; which is especially advantageous if for any reason the feed-water heater fails to 'heat the water. In the third place', it heats the pump, so that its operation is rendered easier; which is quite an advantage in cold weather, when the lubricant gets Stiff. In the fourth place, it keeps thepump from freezing during intermissions in the operation thereof, for a boiler-feed Pump is not in constant operation, and the intermissions are often suliciently long, especially .when the locomotive is standing, to allow the water to freeze if that is not otherwise prevented. In this way,.the bursting of the pump by reason of such freezing is prevented; andthe pump is kept in condition for operation. 1

In the preferred form of my invention, I provide both the steam-jacket chamber 40 and the volute outlet chamber 2 7 in the same main cylindrical body-casting 45. This not only simplifies the structure, but also `serves to improve the heating effect of the steamjacket on the water in such volute outletchamber; and this heatingl effect is thus-increased at the point where the greatest heat is desired, for the water from the volute outlet chamber 27 is normally fed directly to the boiler, and it is thus heated by the hottest steam in the steam-jacket chamber 40, because the steam entering such steamjacket chamber does soat the top, close to the volute outlet chamber 27.

I claim as my invention 1. A centrifugal pump, comprising a vertical shaft, a centrlfugal impeller mounted pper and lower plates between which said lmpeller rotates, said plates being spaced apart to provide between them a diswhich said'impeller discharges, and a single involute vane located in said discharge chamber and projecting into proximity to said impeller.

l2. A centrifugal pump, shaft, a centrifugal impeller mounted thereon, plates between which said impeller rotates, said platesbein splaced a art to probetween them a 'csc arge chamber into Vide comprising al ice tates, said plates beine' spaced a art to pro.

vide between them a ischarge c amber' into which said impeller dischar es, aslngle 1nvolute vane located in said ischarge chain-` ber, and one or more posts'co-operating with.

said single Vane to. space said plates apart allid support the upper plate from the lower p ate.

4. A centrifugal pump, comprising a shaft, a centrifugal impeller mounted thereon, plates between which said impeller rotates, said plates bein spaced a art to provide between them a ischarge c amber-finto which said impeller discharges, a single involute vane located in said discharge chamber, and one or more posts co-operatlng with said single vane to spacesaid plates apart.

5. QA' centrifugal pump, comprising a shaft, a centrifugal im eller mounted there on, plates between which said impeller rotates, said plates bein splaceda art to provide between them a (fisc arge c amber into which said impeller dischar es,'a single involute vane located in said ischarge chamber, and one or more posts zo-operating withA said single vane to space said plates apart, said posts and said vane being circumferential y distributed with respect to one another. p l

6. A centrifugal pump, comprising, a shaft, a centrifugal im eller mounted thereon, plates between which said impeller rotates, said plates bein s aced a art to provide between them a isc arge c amber into -which said impeller discharges, a single involute vane located in said discharge chamber, and one or more posts co-operating with said single vane to space said plates apart,

said posts being of substantiall stream-line cross-section, with the major imension of each post substantially paralleling the flow of water.

l 7. A centrifugal pump, comprising a shaft, a centrifugal impeller mounted thereon, plates between which said impeller rotates, said plates beine' spaced a art to provide between them a discharge cli rounding the impeller and into which ythe impeller discharges, said pump having a volute chamber outward from said discharge chamber and an' outlet assage into which said Volutc chamber disc arges, and a single involute vane located in said discharge chamber.`

8. A centrifugal pump, comprising a shaft, a centrifugal im eller mounted thereon, plates between whlch said impeller rotatcs, said plates bein s aced a art to provide between them a isc arge cliamber surrounding the impeller and 1nt0 whichvthe4 impeller discharges, said pum having a volute chamber outward from said discharge chamber and an outlet passage into which said volute chamber discharges, and a single amber surinvolute vane located in said discharge chamber, said involute vane being arranged with its inner end in'iproximity to the 1mpeller and its outer en near the li formed between ,the volute chamber and t e outlet passage therefrom.

9. A centrifugal pump, comprising a shaft, a centrifugal impeller mounted thereon, plates between whlch said impeller rotates, said plates beintg s aced' a art to provide between them a arge c iamber surrounding the impeller and into which the l impeller discharges, said pump having a volute chamber outward from said discharge chamber and an outlet lsaid volute chamber disc arges, and a single 'involute Vane located in said discharge chamber, said involute vane being arranged with its inner end in proximity to the 1mpeller and its outer end substantiall opposite and in line with the lip formed etween the volute chamber and t e outlet passage therefrom.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 13th assage into whichv day of March, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three.

VICTOR ISCHLEYER. 

